As the Ice Thaws
by ReadingJunkie96
Summary: Merlin's best friend drags him to the ice-skating rink where her crush works at part time so that she can get to know him better. He will never be the same.
1. Chapter 1

**Hope you guys like it! I had this plot in my head for a while and now that S5 is coming out in two days, I finally took up the courage to write it! Enjoy! **

**__****As the Ice Thaws**

"Gwyn, I will never forgive you for this; never in a thousand years. You'll regret this when you're on your death bed thinking about all the things you could have done differently and that friend you once had who stopped talking to you because you traumatized him for life and permanently damaged his self-esteem." Merlin is only partly joking, the corners of his mouth turned down.  
"Drama queen," she replies, rolling her eyes at him pointedly. "You promised to help me out with Lance if I agreed to make a move."  
"I never once mentioned ice-skating!" he hisses, "This is going to be a nightmare and you know it. I can barely walk straight and you think I'll be able to glide?"  
"Oh my god, there he is!" she whispers nervously, looking up at the entrance that was some few meters to Merlin's right.  
Merlin spends about two seconds antagonizing her for taking him for granted before he turns his head towards the entrance door and his mouth goes dry. Lance looks as amazing and well endowed as always, in a cream coloured shirt with dark blue jeans. Ironically, that isn't what makes Merlin's mind run blank and his body stiffen. Beside Lance, stands the football champion of Camelot High- the typical star quarterback Arthur Brutus Pendragon. Merlin turns his head away before he makes a fool of himself and looks pleadingly at Gwyn, who appears to be slightly dazed as she stared unashamedly at Lancelot Du Lac.  
"Gwyn, you can't be serious. Arthur Pendragon is HERE. He and his friends will never leave me alone once he sees how terrible I am at this. I'll be a goner. They'll call me names and bash me up and throw me into the rubbish bins near the car park."  
This time she looks at him, her large brown eyes narrowed. "Merlin, that's enough. Lance would never let him do that to you, and I think you're misjudging him. He wouldn't be such a model student if he spent his time with the bullying crowd. Arthur's actually not so terrible; he's been perfectly lovely to me so far."  
Merlin looks at her in disbelief and speaks slowly, as if speaking to a child. "Gwyn, you're a girl; you have nothing to fear from him. His father owns the majority of the city; he's probably buying off Arthur's perfect records. It wouldn't be the first time something like that's happened in Camelot. He's part of the jocks- you know, the men who are three times my size- I have everything to fear from them. Lance isn't always around to be the knight in shining armour, certainly not for me."  
"Well, it's not like he'll be watching you- just forget about him. Look at them, they're going separate paths anyway," she says. Merlin looks and indeed, Arthur has disappeared and Lance is striding towards Gwyn, who is blushing furiously, with a large grin on his face.  
"Please, Merlin," she continues earnestly, "I need you here for moral support. It's my first time ice-skating too." Merlin sighs, and knows the battle is lost.  
"You came," Lancelot says, sounding absolutely delighted. Merlin smiles at his sincerity and thinks that maybe this would be worth it.  
"I wanted to see you," she replies, smiling shyly, "although I should probably warn you that neither I nor Merlin has any practice with this."  
Lancelot looks at Merlin, his kind eyes assessing, and clasps his hand gently, as if trying not to scare him off.  
"I'm sure he'll be fine. I can't help both of you at once, but there's always some staff ready in the back to help out first-timers. It's a pleasure to meet you, Merlin; are you studying in Camelot High like us?"  
Merlin guessed that it was only to be expected that Lancelot Du Lac wouldn't know who he was after almost a year studying the same course. "I am actually, yes. I'm taking English AP with you in Mrs. Clarke's class."  
Lancelot has the sense to look slightly abashed. "Of course, Merlin, I remember you now. Right, well if you two are ready to skate, I'd love to be the one to teach you. The next shift is in fifteen minutes- over this way," he gestured to the queue and wrapped his hand around Gwyn's as he followed somewhat behind her.  
There aren't too many people, but there are enough for Merlin to remain unnoticeable in the shadows with. He puts his skates on and ties the laces extra carefully, but then nearly drops them in shock when the rest of the staff comes out. Arthur's leading them, taking them around the rink and placing them in various strategic positions. Merlin watches him glide across the rink effortlessly, his golden hair quivering with the speed with which he glides across the ice. He looks ravishing in a navy blue uniform with round, golden buttons and displays a soft smile on his flushed face as he does a lap around the rink, spins to a graceful stop and then leaves the area amidst a small round of admiring applause. The part of Merlin's brain that isn't going through a minor panic attack knowing that Arthur might see the true extent of his clumsiness wondered what on earth a Pendragon has to work a part time job for. He takes a deep breath of air, and sees Gwyn cast him a look as contrite as is possible for her to make while Lance has his arm around her waist, guiding her to the rink. He is slightly consoled when she looks back at him and mutters a hasty "thank you" before entering the rink. He watches her trip and watches also, as Lance holds her still. He stands up on the carpet with his skates on and shakes, trying to keep his balance. He shuts his eyes and laments again that he is too shy and embarrassed to ask for help from another member of the staff.

**Please review and let me know what you want to happen! Chpt.2 will be out soon enough :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews and follows guys! 3 Really encouraging :)**

Chapter 2

"Oh god," he yelps as his skates make contact with the ice. He holds on to the railing for dear life as his legs go flailing and he tries to bring them back together, his embarrassment momentarily vanquished in the face of fear. He looks around for Gwyn and sees her faring similarly, but much more happily as Lancelot stands by her like a safety net. He focuses on keeping his legs still and tries to simply glide around the rink, one hand clutching the railing at all times, like a lifeboat. Despite this, he still manages to nearly fall backwards four times and he has to cling desperately to the hand rails to keep from landing on the ground in an undignified heap each time. He thinks he is doing quite well, all things considered. He legs do tend to sporadically act of their own accord, but he always manages to pull himself back together. The worst part is watching the way everyone around him manages it so much better than he does, even the other first-timers.  
By the time he manages a full circle, the soles of his feet are aching terribly, and he is quite sure his ankle is bruised. He feels utterly miserable and looks around to see if he can convince Gwyn to let him leave. After a minute or so, he finally spots her somewhere around the centre of the rink. She isn't gliding smoothly, but she has improved and she and Lance look to be in heavenly states. As happy as he is for her, a sad ache touches his heart as he considers that neither of them would notice if he goes missing. He lets his guard down as he slowly makes his way to the exit and he is about to leave when a young boy, no more than ten years, whizzes past him in skates that look far too big for his age. He feels a moment of unadulterated fear as he leans backwards, lifts his hands off the railing to cover his face and falls quickly backwards. His elbows collide violently with the cold, hard ice and he can feel the warming particles of water seeping through his jeans. He looks up and sees people staring at him and he just wants to crawl into a hole and die.  
"Merlin! Are you alright?" Lancelot cries softly, not wanting to attract attention, "Take my hands, I'll pull you up."  
"You'll fall too," he replies stupidly, already feeling the loss of his little grey cells. Lancelot smiles at him with fondness and lifts him up readily. Merlin sees Gwyn standing behind him, looking worried.  
"I'm fine," he reassures her, "I was just thinking about maybe lea-"  
"You shouldn't be learning how to skate on your own, it'll take forever," Lancelot interrupts, "Wait here a second."  
As Lance skates away, Merlin turns beseechingly to Gwyn.  
"Gwyn, I'm really not feeling up to this. You and Lance seem to be getting on fabulously, can I please go?"  
Gwyn is nodding her head sympathetically, and for a second, Merlin feels some hope squeeze its way through to him. He should have known it was too good to last. Gwyn's eyes skirt towards the area just above his shoulder and her eyes widen shockingly.  
"I saw you fall over, is everything okay?" a deep and honey-coated familiar voice comes from behind him- familiar because he hears the same voice weekly, at every school assembly. His own eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets as he exchanges a meaningful glance with Gwyn and he tells himself he's not twice as shaky as he turns to face the Pendragon.  
"Umm…" he starts off, confounded. After a few seconds of relative silence, Arthur starts looking at him as if he is mentally retarded and in need of therapy and he suddenly feels a lot less nervous. Arrogant, supercilious prats, he can deal with. "I'm fine, thanks; I was just lea-"  
"Arthur!" Arthur turns around to see an out of breath Lancelot skidding to a stop on the ice behind him. "I was looking all over for you! It's Merlin's first time skating here, and who better than you to show him the ropes?"  
Arthur raises an eyebrow at his friend's unexpected flattery- knowing it for what it is as he follows Lancelot's not-so-discreet eye movements towards Gwyn. Merlin hopes dearly that Arthur will tell Lancelot to find someone else to take care of Merlin, as his eyes scoured the rink for any sign of a free staff member. Unfortunately, they were all doing damage control around the rink.  
"Unfortunately, the rest of the staff is busy," Arthur starts and Merlin scowls up at him under his lashes, "so it seems you're stuck with me, if you'll have me?" Arthur finishes, his shy smile wearing away at the edges as he contemplates the mean look Merlin's sending his way. Merlin flushes, embarrassed, and he is, again, quite speechless. Arthur's eyes were sapphire crystal orbs of the deepest blue and behind them lay a hint of alluring vulnerability. Merlin shakes himself out of his girly thoughts before he can be even more mortified at himself and takes the warm, calloused hand that Arthur holds out, hardened from years of sports and athletics. He feels a growing sense of dread in his stomach, mixed in with a couple of butterflies. It's a very strange feeling, he reflected. Lance winks at Arthur and leads Gwyn away to a more private spot on the rink.  
"Take both my hands, Merlin."  
Merlin looks at him as if he's mental and asking Merlin to jump off the edge of a cliff, "Excuse me?"  
Arthur laughs. "You heard me," he says, "I'll take care of you, I promise."  
"It won't be up to you, I'll take us both down."  
"Trust me."  
Merlin looks at him carefully and, after detecting no hint of deception in Arthur's eyes, he lets go of the railing and takes hold of Arthur's other hand too.  
"Good. Now I'm going to skate backwards; I want you to keep your feet still and slight parted- don't move them too much just yet."  
Arthur starts moving as Merlin nods, swallowing.  
"You don't have to do this, you know. I was actually thinking of leaving; Lance and Gwyn don't look like they would notice. I could save you the trouble."  
"Nonsense! Everyone should skate at least once in their lifetime. It's no trouble- really."  
"You sure you're not going to end up pushing me into the ice yourself?" Merlin jokes nervously.  
Arthur frowns at him, "Why would you think that?"  
"It's just…I've seen you at school and I'm quite sure you'll get tired of me. You don't come across as patient. I'm a fast learner usually, just not when it comes to sports."  
While Arthur considers his words thoughtfully, Merlin looks around and realises that they're at the centre of the rink. He smiles.  
"There you go," Arthur grins, "you're better when you're distracted. Try not to think so much, just let go. It's the best part about ice skating, the catharsis of it."  
"That's if you have the balance; to me, it's a death wish."  
"You're doing beautifully," Arthur smiles, "Now I want you to let go of my hands."  
"NO!" Merlin shrieks, digging his nails into Arthur's palms and attracting strange looks from a few curious onlookers. "No," he repeats more quietly.  
"I'm right here," Arthur says softly, "just keep talking to me and keep calm."  
Arthur lets go and Merlin shuts his eyes, already feeling his legs widen involuntarily through the pressure of the ice. Then he feels Arthurs arm wrap around his shoulders, a comforting weight.  
"Keep your legs still and together; keep the balance," he whispers into Merlin's ear, and Merlin shudders unwillingly, "I want you to put one leg in front of the other, the way I'm doing now but don't put push backwards like you do when you're walking."  
Merlin tries, and nearly slips, but Arthur's arm holds him steady.  
"Oh no, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Merlin squeaks as he flails.  
"It's okay; it's okay! Calm down, Merlin! Easy there."  
Merlin's breathing heavily by the time he comes to a standstill and he's avoiding Arthur's eyes, looking instead, at the ground.  
"Are you alright?" he asks concernedly, trying to catch Merlin's eye. Merlin nods back without speaking and Arthur sighs.  
"I've trained a few people and a lot of them started off far worse, you've nothing to be uncomfortable about. I was worse when I first tried this, believe me. I had scrapes and bruises on every spare inch of my body, but my father wouldn't let until I'd perfected the ability. I can't complain, since I absolutely love skating, but I feel as if I'd love it a lot more if I hadn't been forced into doing it. You can leave if you really want to, but I'd love for you to give it a few more tries, and not be afraid of falling."  
Merlin gapes at Arthur openness, trust and his admission of helplessness in the face of Merlin's sorrow. He starts to recognise another side to the flawless Arthur Pendragon and he's starting to become afraid of the feeling that the side ignites in him. He nods his head, touched and gobsmacked, and readies himself for another go.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Sorry it's taken me a while to come out with this one! Schoolwork's been brutal this week and with all my English AP assignments, I really wasn't in the mood to write after. Anyways, I hope it came out well and you guys enjoy it :)**_

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Chapter 3

"So what's a Pendragon got to work a part time job for?" Merlin stalls, gathering up courage and shutting his eyes. He wants to immerse himself into the conversation before he tries again.

"Well...it's a long story really. I'm doing this mainly because my father opened this joint recently, because I love the feeling of gliding on ice and because I need extracurricular activities and work experience on my resume if I'm to gain entrance into good universities."

"Oh!" Merlin says, surprised. He takes another step forward and gesticulates incomprehensibly. "But can't you just...ask your father to get you an admission into the universities here? I'm sure he'll do it for you if you ask him." Merlin wants to hit himself for giving Arthur the idea, but is quite astounded that Arthur hasn't thought of it himself. His stomach clenches when Arthur's voice turns cold.

"Of course, you would think that- it's what everyone thinks, isn't it?" he answers bitterly, "That my father pays off or threatens everyone into getting me where he wants me to be. The worst part is that he actually would if I asked him. That's one of the main reasons why I'm aching to get out of this city- so that no-one can tell me I'm only where I am because of my father. They can't judge me like that if I'm in an Australian university, or an American. "

"You're planning to leave Camelot?" Merlin gasped, shocked, "But what about your family here? You'll take over as ambassador someday."

"I'm not so sure about that. I also want to go oversees so I can pursue my own goals. I want to get into medicine, not politics. Arguably, both those decisions are meant to help people but politics is a dirty game and medicine is a pure and honest way to contribute to society. My step-sister, Morgana, is far more able when it comes to the inside workings of the government and she has a good heart. I'm hoping she'll take over instead of me." Arthur pauses, and his voice lowers uncertainly, "You won't tell anyone I told you that will you? It's just...I still haven't told my father. I'd like for him to hear it from me and-"

"Course I won't tell anyone!" Merlin exclaims indignantly, "What do you take me for?"

Arthur's relief is clear in his resulting grin. "Thanks, Merlin. It's just that most people like to call in favours with him and since he'll still have time to stop me if you tell him now, he'll owe...why am I telling you this?" Arthur bites his lips and closes his eyes, berating himself silently.

Merlin is listening intently and catches every word, realising quickly how advantageous it would be for him and his mother if the ambassador of Camelot owed Merlin such a huge favour. His momentary indecision washes away as he peeps at Arthur, whose eyes are shut and who is waiting for the blow. Merlin starts to appreciate the loneliness that must come from being so powerful. He hasn't thought of it before, but although Arthur may be surrounded with people at all times, he always has to stay guarded and caged, has to shield himself from anyone and everyone- even his own father, it seems. Merlin's heart melts for him as he watches Arthur breathe in heavily while contemplating this. Arthur has a childlike expression on his round face, and looks completely harmless despite all his muscle and natural brute strength. He looks absolutely adorable. Merlin knows that no matter what he'll tell Arthur right now, Arthur won't threaten, ridicule or hurt him in retaliation. He thinks he should probably be giving more thought to turning down a potential scholarship, but can't find it in himself to care.

"You know," he says tenderly, tightening his hold on Arthur's hand, "you have serious self-preservation issues. I think it's my duty as a citizen of Camelot to defend your rights for you." Arthur looks up hopefully at that, his baby blues sparkling, and Merlin sobers. "I won't say a word to anyone, I promise. You don't have to hold yourself back with me. You asked me to trust you, and I did. Now, I ask you to return the favour."

They look into each other's eyes for a moment and Arthur gives an almost imperceptible nod, before he coughs audibly and his face lights up.  
"You're doing it!" he grins, delighted.

"What?" asks Merlin, taken aback by the abrupt change of topic.

"Merls, you're ice-skating! Look at your feet! You don't...mind if I call you that, right?"

Merlin feels a rush of warmth flow through his body. "That's what most of my friends call me," he says, before registering the rest of Arthur's words. He looks down, realising that he's ice-skating properly a second before he startles at the fact and flounders, falling to the ground and taking Arthur down with him.

Arthur grunts as Merlin's elbow digs into his sides, but then bursts into joyous laughter, so Merlin decides they're okay. He listens to Arthur's melodic laugh and doesn't want it to stop, but like all good things, it dies out eventually. Arthur smiles up at him affectionately and strokes his sides and Merlin feels goose bumps arise. He feels wonderfully comfortable and relaxed, pressed up against Arthur with Arthur's arms wrapped protectively around his waist, but he can practically feel the stares of the rest of skaters digging into his back, so he reluctantly climbs off Arthur. He finds, to his immense disappointment, that that's as far as he can get and pouts. He watches as Arthur sits up and uses the sheer strength of his arms to hoist himself up. He looks down at Merlin and Merlin crosses his arms expectantly.

"Well, if you're waiting for me to burst into applause and fawn over you, I should probably tell you now that that's not going to happen." Merlin decides not to mention that he has been fawning over Arthur since he first met him in his 7th year since that would do nothing for Arthur's gigantic ego.  
Arthur smirks at him and lifts Merlin up, nearly dislocating his arm in the process. He steadies Merlin with a hand around his waist as he stumbles again. Although Merlin doesn't need the support so much anymore, Arthur leaves his hand curled around his hip, and Merlin is definitely not going to complain. They continue to skate aimlessly around the rink again and Merlin notices some girls trying to catch Arthur's eye. He hopes desperately that Arthur doesn't notice and realises that this day is fast-tracking onto the number one position on his list of favourites.

"I'm sure you'll do brilliantly whatever you do," Merlin says honestly, "you annoying over-achiever. I think it's fantastic that you have the courage to try to pave your own way and do the right thing."

"That's a nice way of looking at it. So what about you then, Merls? What do you hope to do after you finish school?"

"I want to write books. I know it's unrealistic and risky, but I love writing."

"Creativity isn't my strongest point, but I do love music, and I love playing the piano in my free time- which I'd like to think I'm quite good at. My father told me I inherited that trait from my mother..."

"I'm terrible at music, but I love listening to classic piano...you know, I've always felt as if I should do something safer and more substantial in my career than writing- for my mother; she's sacrificed everything so that I could have a proper education, but I don't feel as passionate about anything else and my mother's always encouraged me to do what I love. Mothers are great like that."  
Arthur bows his head slightly and his voice takes on a melancholy tone that Merlin hates passionately. "Your mother sound lovely, but I wouldn't know. Mine died when I was little; she died giving birth to me. I've only seen pictures; she was very beautiful. I sometimes get the feeling my father blames me."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Merlin whispers.

"It's alright. I suppose I've gotten used to growing up without her. I have a nurse- Grunhilda- who took care of me growing up."

"...I know what it feels like to have a missing parent. I grew up without a father; he left my mother and me when I was little because of circumstances beyond our control- my mother said. She doesn't blame him, so neither do I. I asked her once, why she didn't just abort me; she was poor and it would've made her life so much easier. She told me that she's always loved me- even when I was in her womb, and that every mother would die for her child if that's what it would take for her child to live. Your mother would've known the risks and she'd taken them anyway. She loved you even then."

Arthur looks down at the ice and bites his lip again.

It's around that point that Gwyn and Lance come over, looking ridiculously sappy and in love.

"Arthur, our shift's nearly over, and Gwyn and I were going to go over to Starbucks to get some coffee if you two want to join us?" Lancelot speaks reluctantly and Merlin really does want to let him spend some time alone with Gwyn, but the larger part of him wants to spend more time with Arthur- get to know the man behind the mask even better, even if there were others in the mix. Now that he has a taste of the man behind the mask, he can feel the addiction. Before he can speak though, Arthur takes charge.

"No, I think we're good here, but you two go on and have fun."

Merlin's stomach sinks. Of course Arthur won't want to spend more time with him. Of course he doesn't think of Merlin that way; Merlin was just deluding himself the way he always does when he crushes on someone so far out of his league. Arthur may be bisexual, but that doesn't mean he would ever go for Merlin when there are people like Gawain and Sophia who would gladly take him out. Merlin lowers his head and looks determinedly at the floor, and an awkward silence follows for about five minutes before the shift ends and Gwyn and Lance leave hurriedly. Gwyn winks at him mischievously before she leaves and glances quickly at Arthur to make a point. Merlin sighs dejectedly.

"You know...now that I think of it, I do feel like a hot, steaming mug of coffee," Arthur says casually as they're sitting on the bench beside each other and tying their shoe-laces. Merlin feels a faint hope rising up inside of him again.

"There's probably still time to catch them; we know we're they're going."

"Naa, best give them some time alone- it's obvious that they're dying for it. How about we go to Gloria Jeans instead?"

And there it is, Merlin thinks despairingly as his traitorous heart skips a beat, the beginning of the end.


	4. Chapter 4

**Oh my god, I'm sorry guys! Been busy with assignments and examinations but I haven't forgotten the story! Final chapter should be up soon enough- big thank you to everyone who reviewed 3**

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Chapter 4

"Have you ever thought of just...leaving?" Arthur asks, clutching his coffee with both hands. He looks even more edible in a navy blue t-shirt that clings to body in all the right places. Merlin feels small in his grey hooded jacket, although it thankfully covers all his awkward, lanky limbs to his satisfaction. Arthur seems to be deep in thought and Merlin forces himself to stare down into hot chocolate.  
"You'll have to be elaborate," he replies, silently telling himself off for the roughness in his voice.  
"I mean like...leaving everything behind and going off on a trip to Europe with nothing but a bag of clothes and...a friend."  
"You are going on a trip around Europe, aren't you? You're leaving in December with your father, his new wife- the Lady Catrina and your step-sister."  
Arthur raises an eyebrow at Merlin, a smirk beginning to twist the corners of his mouth.  
"What?" Merlin asks defensively as his cheeks color. "I can't help it if the BBC finds that information worth reporting."  
Arthur laughs, but then his expression sours. "A trip around Europe with my family will be chaos. I'll have to face my father's disappointment in me and my sister and father in the same room. Also, Catrina's an absolute troll."  
Merlin snorts into his drink, and Arthur looks at him contemplatively.  
"I really would like to bring a friend with me," he says shyly, "someone who wouldn't just be taking advantage of the trip and would genuinely want to spend time with me?"  
Merlin sips his coffee quietly for a few minutes and then his eyes widen comically.  
"Wait...you're not...you don't mean to say...you're not talking about me!?"  
"Well done, Sherlock," Arthur grins, but his eyes, avoiding Merlin's, belie his ease.  
"I'd love to!" Merlin blurts out. "But you do understand that you're sort of mental right? How do you know I'm not secretly a drug dealer or paid assassin?" Merlin pauses, a scary thought fighting its way to his mouth. "Unless you're just taking the piss, and I'm a gullible idiot."  
"No, no, I'm not, I really do want you to come with me. It would be such a relief to have someone to break the tension between all of us; we don't get along very well...and to the other part of question...I have to make a confession."  
Arthur pauses and Merlin looks up at him curiously.  
"Merlin Emrys, you're originally from a small village called Ealdor- which is on the outskirts of Beltane. You're mother is Hunith ; the local seamstress, and your father, Balinor, had to run away from home shortly after you were born because he was falsely accused of murder. You have a passion for English literature and love to read poetry. You won three writing competitions during your years of high school, and you're part of the national chess club. You refuse to be ashamed of the person you are and you don't let anyone get you down or mess with your head. You love the color blue because to you, it symbolises peace and simplicity instead of sadness; I know because I've read every story and article you've written in the local newspaper since you first started writing for it in our freshman year- all twenty-three of them."  
Merlin's teaspoon drops to the floor and clatters loudly. He starts shaking angrily, his right hand clenching around his coffee cup on the table. Arthur covers it gently with his left hand and looks straight into Merlin's eyes and Merlin thinks that it really isn't fair that Arthur's eyes are that particular shade of blue.  
"I've admired you from afar for that long, Merlin. At first, I tried to convince myself that any feelings I had for you were just passing fancies, but then I read your stories and I fell in love with each and every one of them. The more I found out about you, the less I figured you would give me the time of day if I asked you out. What I did figure out was that you were ridiculously loyal to your friends. When Gwyn asked Lance out, I was there. I was the one who suggested they go ice-skating; because I knew that you would be there. Call me a coward if you will, but it was worth it."  
Merlin rips his hand away from below Arthur's and considers slapping him, but thinks better of it. He throws whatever is left of his money on the table, not bothering to wait for change, and stands abruptly, sending a dirty look Arthur's way before striding out of the coffee shop blinking rapidly and trying not to yield to the stinging in his eyes.  
It was too good to last, he thinks, as he pauses around the corner of the coffee shop, taking deep breaths. Suddenly, there's a warm, soothing pressure on his shoulder and he wheels around, gritting his teeth together. Arthur's hand falls back down to his side and he smiles sadly.  
"And you're so insecure about yourself that you don't realise how truly wonderful you really are; you think I'm just playing around with you because of some bet I made with my friends."  
"So you admit it?" Merlin asks with his voice cracking.  
Arthur shakes his head and leans forwards until he's so close that Merlin can see the freckles on his nose and feel the warmth of his breath. "Don't be afraid to give this a go, Merlin. Give me a chance. I promise I won't let you down."  
Merlin closes his eyes. He feels Arthur squeeze his hand gently and he can hear Arthur walk away after he doesn't respond. He opens his eyes anyway, still hoping, and it feels like all the warmth leaves the air as he sees the area in front of him filled with only strangers.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry this took me so long, guys! Been busy studying for external exams...this is the final chapter, hope you all like it :)**

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Chapter 5/Epilogue

The day after:

"May I sit here?" Arthur asks quietly. He holds a silver tray, laden with salad and lean meat, in both hands.  
Merlin looks up at him, stunned. He can feel his heartbeat racing.  
"Umm...yes?" Freya squeaks. Will looks up at Arthur curiously and Gwyn smiles to herself.  
Arthur grabs a chair and sits down next to Merlin so that their knees are knocking against each other and he takes Merlin's hand under the table. Merlin just can't take it upon himself to let go.

One week after:  
"What do you think you're playing at?" Merlin asks Arthur furiously, cornering him in the bathroom between classes.  
"What do you mean?" Arthur asks innocently.  
Of all the nerve, Merlin thinks irately. "I mean putting that note in my locker, asking me to come with you around Europe next month! I thought you'd had your fun!"  
"So you don't want to go?"  
"What does that have to do with...Oh hell, just forget about it," Merlin says finally, throwing his hands in the air and storming back to class.  
When he finds the already paid for ticket in his locker the next period, he holds it gingerly in his hands, examining it in shock. Slowly, his mouth spreads into a smile and he folds the ticket- tucking it safely into a pocket in his backpack.

One month later:  
Merlin feels the seat rumble beneath him and he curses under his breath. Arthur puts an arm around him and holds him so that Merlin can hide his face in his neck.  
"Trust me?" he whispers into Merlin's ear.  
"Yes," answers Merlin, so faintly it was almost incomprehensible. Arthur smiles at him tenderly and holds him even closer as they take off into the night sky.


End file.
